started training two days prior to the liveaboard ’ s departure to ensure those who had not dived previously got to at least Ocean Diver level before the boat left dock early on Sunday morning .
The students had completed their e-learning prior to travel . If possible , we encourage them to have at least a try dive with their local club , in order to understand what it ’ s like to be underwater . Day one , then , was shore diving in Hurghada , covering the basics with a nice long dive to finish the day off , then day two saw them out on a day boat with our other divers , some of whom had arrived early to get in some pre-liveaboard shakedown dives .
Saturday was a big arrival day , with most of our divers arriving at the boat in the evening . All the equipment for those hiring is delivered directly to the boat , based on sizes supplied in advance . There are always a few final adjustments , but the BSAC Egypt team are very accommodating in sorting out any issues . The hire equipment is new , mainly Aqualung gear and computers ; torches and dSMBs are also provided in the hire charge .
Our boat left Hurghada early on the Sunday , heading north while everyone was still asleep , recovering from their long journeys . We made the most of the lie-in , as we would be up at 5.30am for the rest of the week , making the most of the light of day . The daily routine
Sunset view from the companionway
Steps at deck level on SS Thistlegorm
usually followed a set pattern : Early briefing then dive one ; breakfast ; briefing / dive two ; lunch ; briefing / dive three then briefing / night dive if feasible , followed by dinner .
By mid-morning on Sunday , we were already diving Sha ’ ab el Erg , for some a check-out dive , but for nine of our party it was to be the start of their Sports Diver training .
Some of our trainees may have completed drills back in the UK , but we ’ ve found it ’ s a great refresher to work together , begin again and start with rescue skills . Unfortunately , there ’ s little downtime for the Sports Diver trainees , as the journey to Abu Nuhas is a great opportunity to run through SP1 Basic Life Support and for everyone to have a turn .
Safety is paramount during the trip and just with UK diving , the risk assessment needs to be adapted to the conditions , abilities and the training taking place . We managed on this trip to get through airport security with two new O2 analysers , a brand-new Automated External Defibrillator ( AED ) and an O2 scrubber pack for use on the BSAC trips . We also had a training AED , which got a lot of use ,
" There ’ s little downtime for the Sports Diver trainees "
both for Sports Divers and Dive Leaders . In addition to the standard liveaboard briefings , we ’ ve added in some ‘ Safe Diving ’ controls , more aligned to UK diving , such as control of divers in and out of the water .
By Monday evening we were at the site of the Dunraven wreck and the Sports Diver group had already completed five dives , covering a range of conditions and drills . They were then ready to dive within the supervision of the dive guides and also teamed up with some of the more experienced divers onboard .
This gave us a chance to start training the five Dive Leaders-to-be , using the opportunity of leading a night dive to start their dive leading experience modules .
Tuesday saw us at Ras Mohammed for a busy day with more dive leading experience ; there was also wall diving ( the wall goes down 750 metres !); mid water dSMB deployment and use of Zodiac RIB boats . There was more training between dives to cover resuscitation skills while the boat sailed south towards the SS Thistlegorm . This famous wreck presented a great opportunity for the Dive Leaders
Soft corals on SS Ulysees
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